Job Licensing Review Bill Passes, 45-1
Contact: Adam Weinberg
(402) 452-3737
aweinberg@platteinstitute.org
Job Licensing Review Bill Passes, 45-1
Committees Would Review Licensing Every 5 Years
LINCOLN, NE – A bill to review Nebraska’s job licensing laws and to provide workers with conviction histories an advance assessment of their eligibility for job licensing earned final approval in the Unicameral today.
Sen. Laura Ebke’s Legislative Bill 299 was passed on Final Reading with 45 votes in support and 1 opposition vote.
The bill now goes to the governor’s desk for consideration.
LB299 has received support from advocacy groups with a wide variety of views, including the Platte Institute, the Institute for Justice, the ACLU of Nebraska, Americans for Prosperity-Nebraska, and Nebraska Appleseed. In a recent Wall Street Journal editorial, the legislation was endorsed as a model for job licensing reform.
The bill requires legislative committees to regularly review occupational licensing laws for over a five-year cycle, with the intent of identifying less restrictive regulatory alternatives, which may include private certification, registration, insurance or bonding requirements, inspections, open market competition, or a combination of these approaches. The reviews would be conducting during the legislative interim.
Workers with conviction histories would also have the ability to receive a report from state licensing boards about their eligibility to work in a licensed profession prior to beginning a training program.
The bill has earned tripartisan support in the Nebraska Legislature, with Ebke, a registered Libertarian, Sens. John McCollister, Tom Brewer, Dan Watermeier, Mark Kolterman, John Stinner, and Brett Lindstrom, Tom Briese, and John Lowe representing Republican cosponsors, and Democratic Sen. Justin Wayne also cosponsoring the legislation. Health and Human Services Committee members, Sen. Sue Crawford, and Sen. Sara Howard, both registered Democrats, also assisted Sen. Ebke with amendments that enabled the bill to reach final passage.
“LB299 is one of the Platte Institute’s top priorities in the 2018 legislative session, because it will help give power back to Nebraskans to cut the hidden tax of red tape that is creating barriers for working people across our state,” said Jim Vokal, Chief Executive Officer of the Platte Institute.
“While passing this legislation is just the first of many steps, we are eager for lawmakers to begin this important five-year review process,” said Vokal.
To schedule an interview with Jim Vokal on Nicole Fox on this topic, please contact Adam Weinberg at (402) 452-3737 or aweinberg@platteinstitute.org.
The Platte Institute advances policies that remove barriers to growth and opportunity in Nebraska. Learn more at PlatteInstitute.org.